Lindsey's secret
by mirdaishan
Summary: Sara finds out Lindsey has a huge secret, but she can't tell Catherine. What's really going on with the young girl? Just so you know: it can be a bit shocking!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Sara, Sara, wait!"

Sara turned around when someone called out her name. To her surprise, it was Catherine's fifteen years old daughter Lindsey.

"Hi, Lindsey, how are you?"

When Lindsey came closer, Sara could see she was crying.

"Lindsey, what's wrong, honey?"

"Sara, please, I need to talk to you!" Lindsey cried. She threw herself into Sara's arms. "Please!"

"Calm down, honey, I'm listening. What's wrong?"

"No, please, not here, my mom…" Lindsey's tears made it impossible for her to say more. Sara hugged her. "Come on then, we'll go to the locker room."

"No, someone may walk in, I don't want anyone to find out!" Lindsey cried.

Sara had no idea what was going on with the teenager, but she took the girl to one of the empty rooms to process evidence and pushed the chair in front of the door.

"There. We're safe. Honey, what's wrong? And why do you need to talk to me and not your mom?"

"I don't want my mom to find out! Please, Sara, promise me you won't tell her!"

"Honey, I can't promise that, I don't know what's wrong."

"Promise me, Sara, promise me!"

It was wrong to promise she wouldn't say anything to Catherine, but Sara said: "Okay, honey, I promise. Now tell me, what's wrong?"

"I made a huge mistake, Sara! A huge one!"

Sara pulled the girl close to comfort her. "Tell me, Linds, tell me. I want to know what's wrong."

"But you can't tell anyone!"

"I won't, honey, just tell me what you did. What happened?"

"Look…" Lindsey moved back and wiped away her tears. "I know I'm no sweet, good girl, my grades are bad, I fight at school, I'm rude to teachers, but in the end I always feel bad. And I can correct those mistakes. But this time…"

She broke down into tears again. Sara didn't know what to do. She had to help the upset girl, but it should be Catherine she had to be talking to!

"Honey, should I get your mom instead?"

"No, Sara, no, she may never know what happened! You promised, remember? You promised you wouldn't say anything!" Lindsey grabbed Sara's arms. "You promised!"

"Calm down, honey, I did promise and I will keep that promise. But I want to help you and I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong. Talk to me, Linds, you can trust me," Sara said. "What happened that's so horrible?"

"I made a huge mistake, Sara, I really did and I can't correct it," Lindsey sobbed.

"What did you do, honey? Tell me, talk to me!" Sara begged. She was desperate. There was something awful going on here, she just knew it.

"My mom would kill me if she found out…"

"Lindsey, I already promised twice I wouldn't tell her, but so far I have nothing to tell her but the fact that you keep saying you made a huge mistake." Sara was now getting a bit angry. "Tell me then, Linds, and then I'll see if I can fix it."

"You can't fix this, Sara, I was so stupid!"

"I'd never say you're stupid, Linds, you're a clever girl, growing up just isn't easy."

Lindsey wiped away her tears again. "I know, Sara, but I really didn't mean for this to happen."

"I want to know now, Lindsey, what happened?"

"I slept with a guy."

Sara fell silent, she was blown away by Lindsey's answer. Startled, she stared at the teenager. She knew Catherine had talked about Lindsey's rebellious behavior, but this was the last thing she expected.

"Sara, what should I do? What if I'm… pregnant?"

Sara shook her head to concentrate on helping the girl. "Honey, I don't think you could be pregnant. Was this… Well, the first time you slept with someone?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen, Sara, I really didn't!"

Lindsey started crying again. When Sara hugged the young girl, she felt her shiver. "Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm so scared, Sara, what should I do? And what if my mom finds out?"

"Linds, I promised you I wouldn't tell her and I won't. I'm just surprised you came to me."

"What was I to do then?" Lindsey suddenly shouted. "My mom wouldn't understand, she'd just ground me for six months! Sara, I'm so scared!"

Somewhere deep inside Sara felt there was more she needed to know, but she didn't ask.

"Okay, honey, I'll tell you what we're going to do. There's a drugstore right across the police department that's open twenty-four hours a day. We're going to go there together and we'll buy a pregnancy test, then we can be sure, okay?"

Lindsey nodded slowly. "Okay, let's go then."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sara managed to get Lindsey out of the police department without being seen. They hurried to the drugstore, but just outside the store, Lindsey stopped.

"What if they're going to ask questions?"

Sara hadn't thought about that yet, but an answer quickly entered her mind.

"We'll just say it's for me, pretend you're my daughter."

"Okay, let's go then."

The two of them entered the drugstore. Sara immediately asked for a pregnancy test.

"Just to be sure, 'ey, ma'am? Always exciting, finding out!" the woman in the store said. She smiled at Lindsey. "Must be exciting, finding out if you're getting a brother or sister or not."

Lindsey didn't reply, her eyes were opened wide and filled with fear.

"She's been an only child for fifteen years, she hasn't decided yet if she'd like a brother or sister," Sara quickly explained. The woman nodded in agreement. "Come on, Linds, let's go."

Sara paid for the pregnancy test and took Lindsey back to the police department.

"Sara, look out, my mom!"

Lindsey tried to hide behind Sara, but Catherine had already seen her.

"Lindsey? What are you doing here?"

Sara tried to hide the test in her pocket, but Catherine's eyes were sharp. "What's that? A pregnancy test? Sara, are you…?"

"I don't know, Cath, that's what I'm trying to find out," Sara sharply replied.

"Well, I'm kind of curious, I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Catherine continued.

Sara sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought!

"I don't, but I met this guy a few weeks ago and we had a little too much fun. I haven't heard from him since, but… well, you know, just to be sure."

"Okay, let me know if you need any help," Catherine said. "But I still don't understand what Lindsey's doing here? You didn't hitch hike again, now did you, Lindsey? My god, didn't you learn anything from that little trip to the morgue three years ago?"

"Mom, mom, please, I didn't hitch hike! I took the bus, mom, please, stop it!" Lindsey begged, close to tears again. "Let me stay with Sara, I promise I'll be good!"

"Lindsey, I don't think Sara would be happy to share her private life with you."

"Cath, it's okay, I'll make sure she's alright," Sara said. "Come on, Linds, let's go inside."

They left a startled Catherine behind on the parking lot. Lindsey's face was a sad one.

"She knows, Sara, she knows!"

"Of course not, honey, don't be silly now. She doesn't know a thing. Come on, get into the ladies room." Sara pushed the blond girl inside. "Now, honey, this happened tonight, right? Well, then I'm not sure if this test can say something right away. So, do it now and then we'll do it again in a few weeks, just to be sure, okay?" Lindsey nodded while tears ran down her face. Sara gave her a quick hug. "You're going to be fine, honey, I promise. Now, go and take that test!"

She waited impatiently while Lindsey took the test. What a mess! And why was she solving problems a mom should solve? Sara had all kinds of thoughts going through her mind, but she didn't have an answer for the many questions she had. All she knew was that Lindsey had to be alright again!

"Sara, come and see this!" Lindsey softly said. She walked up to Sara and showed the test. Sara breathed relieved. "It's negative, Linds, you're not pregnant." _Or that test doesn't know yet_, she thought. As if Lindsey could read her mind, she said: "What if it's too early to tell? What if I am after all?" She threw herself into Sara's arms just as Greg entered.

"Greg, what the…? This is the ladies room!" Sara shouted at him.

"I'm sorry, but there's a problem in the men room and I really have to go!" Greg said with an anxious face.

"Fine, just go!" Sara sighed. Greg quickly looked from her to Lindsey, but then hurried to a toilet.

"What do I do now, Sara?" Lindsey whispered. "I'm so scared!"

Sara thought. What was she supposed to do?

"You need to get some sleep, Linds, so that's what you're going to do."

Greg joined them again. "Should I say congratulations or not?" He pointed to the pregnancy test.

"God, Greg, you're a real pain tonight!" Sara said, meaning every word. She grabbed the test. "No, just shut up!"

"So you're not pregnant?" He seemed almost relieved which made Sara laugh. She said: "No, I'm not, Greg, and if I would be, you'd know if you were the father or not, you silly! Get out of here now before I call Catherine to kick you out of here!"

"Hey, the men room really is broken, so you have no right to kick out a man in need!"

"Watch me… Get lost, Greg!"

Laughing, Greg left. Even Sara smiled for a moment. She turned to Lindsey to see if she was amused too, but the girl still had tears running down her face.

"Come on, Linds, I'll make sure you're alright. Let me just go tell Grissom I'm leaving early. But stop crying or he'll tell Catherine."

Lindsey wiped her tears away and followed Sara to Grissom's office.

"Hey, Gris, is it okay if I leave early tonight?" Sara asked her boss. "I have a little something I need to take care of."

"Sure, Sara, you finished your case, didn't you?" Grissom asked, after which Sara nodded. "Then go and get some sleep, you could really use some! Oh, hi, Lindsey, I didn't see you back there. Want me to get your mom for you?"

"No!" Lindsey shouted. "I mean… no, thank you, Grissom."

Grissom raised his eye brows, looking from the girl to Sara. Sara shook her head, meaning 'Don't ask!'. Luckily, he understood and he didn't ask anything.

"Let's go, Linds, I'll take you home."

"No, not home!" Lindsey suddenly said, her eyes filled with fear again. "What if he's still there?"

At this point, both Grissom and Sara were lost. What really happened to the little girl?

"Okay, honey, I'll take you to my apartment then. Bye, Gris, I'll see you tonight again."

"Yeah, sure, Sar. And I mean it: get some sleep! Bye, Lindsey!"

Sara threw a quick smile at her boss, Lindsey didn't say anything anymore. During the drive to Sara's apartment, she didn't say anything either. Sara pushed her inside her home.

"Okay, would you like a quick bite to eat before I make you go to sleep?"

"No, thanks, Sara, I want to go to sleep right away, I'm tired."

"Okay, that's fine, honey. Come on, you can sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

She took Lindsey to her bedroom and tucked her in.

"Sara, will you please stay here tonight? I'm so scared!"

Sara nodded and lay down next to the girl, putting her arm around her. As she did that, she felt the girl shiver again. Suddenly, it hit her. It couldn't be!

"Lindsey, did you even want to sleep with this guy?"

The tears came back. "Lindsey, answer me!" Sara insisted. "Did you want to sleep with him?"

"No."

The answer was so soft Sara could barely hear it. "My god, Lindsey, he didn't! He didn't, did he?"

More tears. Lindsey slowly nodded, breaking down. "Yes, Sara. He raped me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Oh my…" Sara could only stare at the young girl. "He raped you? Oh my god, Linds, why didn't you tell me right away?"

"I was too scared to tell you!" Lindsey cried. "Please, Sara, I really didn't want this to happen!"

"God, honey, I understand, I just… Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I feel so bad, Sara, I feel so dirty! Why did he do that to me?"

"You probably know better than me, honey. Why don't you tell me everything that really happened? And I promise: I won't tell your mom!"

Lindsey sat up, wiping her tears away once again. It was a useless action anyway, as the tears kept coming back.

"I was home alone when this guy came over. He's in my class and he flirted with me a few times, but I never really paid attention to him. Now, he came over, saying we could watch a movie together. I said it was okay and that we could watch it downstairs, but he wanted to watch it upstairs, in my room. 'That way I can protect you when you feel scared,' he said. I was a bit surprised, why wouldn't he be able to do that downstairs? But I took him upstairs anyway, god, Sara, I was so stupid! I should have known!"

Sara hugged the girl. "Listen to me, Lindsey, you are not stupid, you did the right thing, coming to me right away. And there was no way you could have known he wanted to… Well, you know. Go on, tell me more, I want to know everything!"

Lindsey started talking again, but often interrupting her story by closing her eyes and breaking down in tears again: "We went upstairs and as soon as we got there, he started kissing me. I pushed him away, because I didn't want him to kiss me, but then… Then… He started shouting at me that I was challenging him to do this, that it was all my fault. And then… Sara, he tried to rip the clothes of my body! He ripped my skirt and tried to do the same to my shirt and he threw me on the bed."

Sara stared at Lindsey's jeans and at the rip in the left sleeve of the shirt. Why hadn't she noticed earlier? Catherine had said a million times that Lindsey only wore skirts and that it drove her crazy sometimes.

"Honey, it's okay, I understand what happened next. But just remember that you're safe here, I won't hurt you. Come on, you have to take a bath, honey, I'll see if I have some clothes of mine that you can borrow for tonight. And, Lindsey… We'll have to report this."

"No, Sara, no!" Lindsey shouted in fear. "No, you promised! What if my mom finds out?"

"She won't, honey, and I promised not to tell her. I'm not going to tell her, I'm going to call Greg, he can handle the case."

"What if Grissom questions him about the case, he'll find out it's me and tell my mom!" Lindsey cried. "Please, Sara, no!"

"Listen to me, Lindsey," Sara said, trying to act strict. "We need to report this. What if you don't and he's going after another girl?" This made the young girl silent. "Honey, you know who did this to you, right?" A small nod. "Good, then we'll get him without a problem. Now, get into the bathroom and undress yourself. Take a long bath, maybe that will help. Go." She pushed the girl into the bathroom, only quickly turning on the hot water before calling Greg.

"Greg? Hi, it's me. Are you still at work? Good. Look, you have to do something without asking questions, okay? Good. Listen, I want you to come over to my apartment and bring a sexual assault kit. I said no questions, Greg, just do it! Thanks." She hung up the phone and went back into the bathroom to check on Lindsey. But what she saw shocked her.

"Oh my god, Lindsey!"

The young girl's arms and legs were covered in bruises! There were even bruises on her back and stomach!

"My… Linds, did he do this to you?"

Lindsey nodded, the tears starting to roll down her face again. Sara wrapped her in her arms, not caring about the little girl being naked. "Honey, I'm so sorry this happened to you! My, no wonder you were so scared! Honey, ssh!"

Of course, this didn't help, the girl was too scared. Sara took her back with her to the bedroom. "Put on your own underwear again, I'll get you one of my shirts to wear."

"Please throw away that shirt and those jeans, Sara."

"Not yet, Linds, we first need to find the guy who did this to you. Go on, grab your underwear, I'll find a shirt for you."

Lindsey was only just dressed when someone rang the doorbell. Sara opened the door. "Hi, Greg, thanks for coming over. Come on in."

"I don't understand you, okay?" Greg said while entering. "What's going on? Lindsey? What are you doing here? Wait a minute, Sara, is this what I think it is?"

"Greg, whatever you do, don't tell Catherine… yet. And yes, it is what you think it is, a guy raped Lindsey. Just… do what you have to do and get this over with. It's horrible enough for her already."

Greg didn't ask any questions anymore, he just did his work. "What was his name? Or can't you remember anymore?" Sara asked.

"Jason. Jason Matthews, he's in my class," Lindsey whispered. "Greg, please don't tell my mom!"

"I won't, sweetie, but I'm not sure if I can keep your identity a secret for Grissom," Greg honestly said. "Or for Brass."

"Get O'Riley to do this then," Sara said. "And just tell Grissom you can't tell him who the girl is."

"Yeah, right, Sar, as if I can!" Greg said, shaking his head. "But I'll try. Am I done?"

"Did you take pictures of her bruises?"

"Which bruises? Oh my god, Lindsey!" He stared at the many bruises on her arms and legs. The look on Lindsey's face made him go quiet again. "Okay, I'll just take those pictures." He took a few shots from her legs and arms. Sara took off Lindsey's shirt. "Don't forget these as well." Greg photographed her back and then turned to her stomach. He stopped for a second to take a look at one bruise closer. "Sar, did you see this? It looks like an impression from some sort of ring!"

Sara looked at and had to agree with him. "Was he wearing a ring, Linds?" She nodded. "A big, ugly one with his initial." Sara studied the bruise. "This could definitely be a J. Get a close-up, Greg."

Greg did as she asked, then he put away his camera. "Okay, I'll get this to the lab plus your clothes, Linds. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone it's you. I'll just work solo for a change."

"You can always call me, Greg, if you need help," Sara offered. He smiled at her. "It's okay, Sar, you make sure she's alright."

Greg left, Sara took Lindsey back to the bedroom to tuck her in. "Try and get some sleep, honey." As Lindsey closed her eyes, Sara still kept wondering why she didn't tell Catherine. Catherine would have definitely believed her after seeing those bruises! Unless there was something else going on Sara didn't know of. She shook the thought out of her head. None of that now, she had to get some sleep too! She'd worry about it in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reviewing, everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Sara slowly turned around. Lindsey lay on her back, her eyes wide open.

"Hey," Sara softly said. "Have you been able to sleep at all?"

"A few minutes," Lindsey confessed.

Sara sighed for a moment. She wanted to help the young girl, but at this point, there was nothing she could do.

"Lindsey, you do know that you will have to tell your mom soon?"

Immediately, all the fear was back. "No! No, Sara, no she may never know!"

"Honey, I'm sure she won't hate you or anything! She's your mom, she loves you!"

"No, Sara, no, I don't want her to find out!" Lindsey shouted.

"Okay, calm down," Sara said, shocked. She sat up. "Okay, honey, what do you want to do today?"

Before Lindsey could reply, there was a knock at the door. Sara got up to see who it was. "Oh, hey, Cath."

"Right, Sara, I want some answers. What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, for goodness sake, Sara, you're calling Greg at work and he rushes over right away, he's suddenly avoiding me and you were carrying a pregnancy test around!" Catherine said. "What's going on?"

Sara started laughing. What a misunderstanding! How could Catherine think she and Greg…? She stopped laughing when she saw Lindsey's sad face.

"Linds, what are you still doing here? Come on, I'll take you home," Catherine said.

"No!"

Catherine and Sara exchanged worried looks. Lindsey ran to Sara, hiding her face. "Please, Sara, don't make me go home!"

"It's okay, honey, you can stay here a bit longer. Go and take a shower, I'll see if I've got something you can wear," Sara said. Lindsey left them alone. "Cath, I'll take care of her, I'll make sure she's alright."

"She's my daughter, Sara!"

"Yes, but clearly she doesn't want to talk to you."

"What else is new, she can drive me crazy sometimes," Catherine sighed.

Sara looked directly at her. "I think now's not the time to be mad at her, Cath. Go home and get some sleep, okay?"

"Sara, if there's something wrong with my daughter, I'd like to know," Catherine said.

Sara sighed. She knew Catherine had the right to know everything and she did want to tell her. But she had promised Lindsey. If she broke that promise now, Lindsey might be mad at her too. Then she had no one to help her get through this.

"I'm sorry, Cath, I can't tell you," Sara told the older woman. "Lindsey will tell you when she's ready."

Catherine left, not happy, of course. Sara felt bad for her, but Lindsey was more important now.

In her closet, Sara found an old skirt and top Lindsey could wear.

"No, I don't want to wear a skirt ever again!" she yelled after seeing the clothes.

"I'll take you to the mall then, but you can't go there dressed in that shirt," Sara said.

After more words, Lindsey finally gave in and she came with Sara to the mall. Sara bought her a new pair of jeans and a sweater, which the young girl immediately changed into before they went to the ice cream store.

"Okay, what flavors do you want, Linds? Lindsey?"

She turned around, seeing Lindsey frozen. "Lindsey? What's wrong, honey?" She turned to see what Lindsey was staring at. "Lindsey?" The girl was staring at a boy who was smiling a bit evil at her. "Lindsey, is he the guy who did this to you? Lindsey, answer me!" Her tears told Sara enough. She quickly grabbed her cell phone and called Greg. "Greg, the guy is at the mall right now, get down here with a cop! Now!" She hung up the phone and grabbed Lindsey. "Honey, go into the ladies room and stay there. Lock the door if you have to, I'll handle this!" Lindsey immediately ran away. Sara saw the guy was about to go after her, but she stopped him, pulling him back roughly. "You jerk, how could you do that to her!" she shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the boy said. "Let me go now! Just wait till my father gets here, he'll tell you!"

"Shut up, I know what you did to Lindsey!" Sara said, feeling angrier every second. She knew she couldn't, but she'd love to beat up the guy.

"Oh, what did she tell you now? She's such a drama queen, just like her mother!"

Sara couldn't control herself anymore, she slapped the boy in his face. "How dare you talk about Lindsey like that! You're not getting away with this!"

"Hey!" She was pulled back by a man. "What do you think you're doing to my son? Wait, I'll call the police!"

"You do that, then we can immediately arrest that son of yours for rape!" Sara shouted at him.

"What are you talking about, woman?" the man said. "Just you wait, my girlfriend works for the police, I'll call her!" He took out his cell phone and dialed. "Hi, honey, it's me. Yes, some kind of woman is trying to arrest Jason here for rape! Great, the cops are here already, get to the police department."

Greg, who had arrived with two cops, pulled Sara towards him. "Calm down, Sar, this isn't working. Did you hit him?"

"Do you have any idea what Lindsey is going through?" she shouted.

"Yes, Sara, I'm doing here case and I've seen her!" Greg said. "Calm down, I know, Sara! Where is she anyway?"

While the cops took Jason and his father to the police department, Greg and Sara got Lindsey. "Come on, honey, we have to go now," Sara softly said. Lindsey looked at her, her eyes filled with tears. "I have to tell my mom now, don't I?"

Sara couldn't say it any other way: "Yes."

Lindsey let her head hang down. Greg put his arm around her. "It's okay, Linds, Sara and I are there for you. Come on, we'll make sure you're okay."

"Catherine? What are you doing here already?" Sara stared at the older woman.

"I could ask you the same thing," Catherine said. "What are you doing here with Lindsey? Why is she here?" She turned around, seeing Jason's father standing there. "Kevin? What's going on?"

"Wait, you know him?" Sara exchanged a worried look with Greg, she started to feel sick as she understood why Lindsey didn't want to tell her mother anything.

"Catherine, is Kevin your boyfriend?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"_Catherine? What are you doing here already?" Sara stared at the older woman._

"_I could ask you the same thing," Catherine said. "What are you doing here with Lindsey? Why is she here?" She turned around, seeing Jason's father standing there. "Kevin? What's going on?"_

"_Wait, you know him?" Sara exchanged a worried look with Greg, she started to feel sick as she understood why Lindsey didn't want to tell her mother anything._

"_Catherine, is Kevin your boyfriend?" _

* * *

"Yes, he is, now what's going on here? Why is he here? And why is Jason here? And Lindsey?"

Sara hugged Lindsey, the girl was in tears again. "Linds, tell her!"

"I can't, Sara, I can't!"

"You can, honey, tell her now!"

Catherine took Lindsey from Sara. "Sweetheart, why are you here? And why are you crying?"

"Jason raped me!"

Catherine fell silent. She stared from Lindsey to Sara and back to Kevin.

"She hates me for being with you and now she's making up such a story," Kevin said. "Unbelievable!"

Catherine stood up straight. "I know my daughter a lot better than you, Kevin. I know she can be a trouble sometimes, but she's not the kind of girl to make up such a story!" She hugged her daughter. "It's okay, sweetie, I'm here now. It's okay, I love you, sweetheart!"

"I love you, too, mommy, please believe me! I didn't make it up!"

"I know you didn't, sweetie, I know you didn't. Oh my god, you poor thing!" Sara saw Catherine's face wince with pain as she thought of everything her little girl had gone through. She stepped back to allow Catherine to comfort her daughter and to watch Greg confronting Jason with the evidence. He tried to deny it at first, but he finally confessed he did it. Hearing this, Catherine wanted to storm into the interview room, but Sara quickly stopped her.

"I already slapped him, Cath, I think that's enough."

Catherine turned to Lindsey again. "Why didn't you come to me right away? Why go to Sara?"

"You wouldn't believe me, you'd be mad at me, I know you're always mad at me for what I do," Lindsey sobbed.

"Lindsey, that's not true, sweetheart, how could you think I'd be mad at you? Sweetie, I love you more than anything else in this world and of course I'd believe you! For goodness, Linds, I'm a CSI like Sara, you could have known I'd believe you! Come here now!" She hugged her daughter and kissed her. "I'll take you home and I'm staying with you tonight." She looked at Kevin. "If I ever see you or your son near my girl again, I'll make sure I'll get a court injunction against both of you! Come on, Linds, we're going home." She left with her daughter. Kevin turned to Sara. "Did he really do it?"

"Yes. We have plenty of evidence."

Kevin shook his head. "I never thought he'd actually do this."

He left the room just as Greg joined Sara. "We've got him, Sar."

"Yes, I know," Sara sighed. "He'll get out of jail in a few years time while Lindsey will have to deal with this her entire life. It just isn't fair." Greg pulled her into a hug. "I know, Sar, I know, it isn't fair. But we've done everything we can."

"I know, but I still don't feel any better."

"Honey, what you did for that girl is incredible, you should be proud of yourself."

Sara looked directly at him. "I can't."

An hour later Sara felt like company again. She went to the break room where Grissom and Greg were drinking coffee.

"Hey," Greg softly said. "You okay again?"

Sara nodded. "Yes, I think so."

"You two did a good job," Grissom said.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier about the case," Greg said. "Lindsey was…"

"It's okay, Greg, you did the right thing for her," Grissom interrupted him. "I'm proud of both of you."

"Really?" Greg stared at his supervisor. Grissom smiled. "Yes, Greg. I am. Thanks to the two of you, Lindsey may get some sleep again tonight."

Sara felt too tired to mention Catherine, she fell down in a chair and closed her eyes.

"She's going to be okay again, Sara, she's a tough kid," Grissom said. "It's not something she'll ever be able to forget, but thanks to you, she'll be able to deal with it one day."

Greg pulled Sara out of her chair. "Come on, I'm taking you home."

"Greg, don't…"

"Sara, I'm only trying to be a good friend," Greg honestly said. "I promise I won't do anything silly, okay?"

Sara felt relieved when her mouth formed a smile. "Okay then, let's go."

A few weeks later, Catherine brought Lindsey to the police department. Lindsey immediately hugged Sara when she saw her. "Sara, I don't know how I'll ever thank you," Catherine said. "I'm sorry if I acted a little weird when I first heard everything."

"It's okay, Cath, she's your daughter," Sara said. She looked at Lindsey, who was still hugging her. "Don't worry, Linds, you're okay now."

"I know, Sara," Lindsey softly said. "Thank you for helping me through it all."

Sara hugged her. "I'll always be there for you, Linds, just so you know!"

"I know, Sara, I know," Lindsey smiled. Sara felt good when she saw it.

"So, tell me, Sara, is there now really something going on between you and Greg?" Catherine asked. Sara smiled. "Cath, what do you think?"

"Ah, so it's true. Looks like we're going to attend a wedding soon, Linds!"

"Cath!"

Even Lindsey giggled. Like Grissom had said, she'd never forget what had happened to her, but at least she was now able to move on.


End file.
